1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to computer software for working with business processes (“business process related computer software”) and more particularly to user interfaces for business process related computer software.
2. Description of the Related Art
In business process related computer software, users are conventionally provided with process diagrams. These diagrams are generated by the business process related software and displayed to the user on a video display and/or a printed-out “hard” copy. User review these process diagrams for many reasons, including: (i) to understand the process; (ii) to edit the process and process diagram; (iii) to compare an abstract or target version of the process to the manner in which the process is actually performed in the real world; (iv) to compare various trial, iterations or performances of the process; (v) to control machines, computers, industrial appliances or other commercial-process hardware based on the information in the process diagram; and/or (vi) to transform matter (for examples, processing raw physical, pharmaceutical materials; treating medical patients; transferring funds). With process diagrams, it takes a user some amount of time and attention to understand the time to fully understand the process, of course. The amount of time and attention that is required to analyze a process diagram will generally depend upon at least the following factors: (i) the number of process steps (see DEFINITIONS section) in the process; (ii) the number of alternative paths through the process; (iii) the number of concurrent paths through the sub-process and/or (iv) the media on which the process is being analyzed. Conventional process diagrams are a useful tool and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future.
The most common way of analyzing any complex business process, using conventional business process views, involves the following steps: (i) diagram out the business process using a tool; (ii) print the process diagram over multiple pages; (iii) stitch the pages together a common board; and (iv) trace the paths through the process; and (v) mark various worksteps along the path(s). The larger the process gets, the more time will be spent in: (i) deciding on the optimal printing size of the process without losing legibility; (ii) stitching multitude of pages to reconstruct the process diagram on hard copy (for example, paper pasted to a common board); and (iii) translating the modifications and/or corrections made on paper back to the process as represented in the business process related computer software.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of a screen 100 with a from an exemplary, software-implemented integrated development environment (“IDE”), showing a diagram view of a very simple order processing business process. This is called a diagram view because it is similar in nature to a flowchart. As shown in the figure, even for this simple process, it is hard to identify the 4 paths that can lead the process from start 102 to finish 104. Conventionally, this is how business processes are displays, leading to the difficulties identified above.